Cerealto expands global footprint with investment in Fresca Foods
The partnership aims to accelerate growth and expand both companies’ market reach across North America while enhancing their capabilities in high-growth snack categories.
USA – Cerealto, a leading European manufacturer of biscuits, cereals, and snack bars, has announced a significant strategic move into the US snack market through a majority investment in Fresca Foods, a prominent American co-manufacturer specializing in natural and organic snacks.
This partnership marks Cerealto’s first major entry into the United States, a critical move given that North America is projected to account for around 20% of Cerealto’s future revenues, driven by the rapidly growing snack segment valued at approximately US$32 billion.
The partnership aims to accelerate growth and expand both companies’ market reach across North America while enhancing their capabilities in high-growth snack categories.
Fresca Foods, based in Colorado, has built a solid reputation over 20 years for producing high-quality, natural, and organic snack products, including snack bars, granola, breakfast cereals, crackers, and cookies.
Its ability to innovate swiftly and develop premium products aligns with Cerealto’s strategic ambitions to expand beyond its European and Latin American markets into the US.
This move enables Cerealto to establish a significant manufacturing presence in Boulder, Colorado, and Denver, key hubs for the American snack industry.
It also grants access to a broad US customer base, enabling rapid distribution and product customization tailored to local preferences.
The partnership is led by Fresca’s experienced US leadership team, who will continue to manage day-to-day operations, with Cerealto retaining a controlling stake in the joint venture.
The deal involves a substantial investment from Cerealto into Fresca Foods, facilitating increased innovation, capacity expansion, and market penetration.
Both companies aim to leverage complementary product portfolios, Fresca’s expertise in natural and organic snacks alongside Cerealto’s manufacturing scale and private label capabilities, to seize growth opportunities and meet rising consumer demand for health-conscious snack options.
Cerealto CEO Bosco Fonts emphasized that this expansion into the US marks a transformative step in the company’s international growth journey, opening vast new markets and positioning it as a major player in North America’s snack industry.
Similarly, Todd Dutkin, Chairman of Fresca Foods, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting the potential to accelerate innovation and deliver a broader range of snack solutions to customers in the US, Europe, and beyond.
This strategic investment signifies Cerealto’s commitment to capturing a larger share of the North American snack market, capitalizing on the growth trajectory of natural and organic snack products, and creating long-term value for both companies and their stakeholders.
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